Every year on the 1st of June, The Egyptian Orthodox Church celebrates the entrance of the Lord to the land of Egypt. St. Matthew mentioned this in his gospel:
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-15
There are a few things that come to mind from this event;
- In the book of Exodus, we learned that plagues hit Egypt because of Pharoh’s stubbornness. The Lord seems to be coming to the same land to bless it.
- We live in a world that resists anything good and resists God himself. Christ, the Son of God, took flight from evil. It is a lesson for us to use our judgement and not risk our lives by resisting evil but instead by running away from them.
- No matter how sinful we were, the Lord Himself will come to us to establish a temple inside us if only we open the door for Him. In the bible, Egypt is a symbol of arrogance that God resists. He said this about Egypt:
19In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.
Isaiah 19:19-22
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References:
Gambero, L., 1999. Mary and the Fathers of the Church 1st ed. Translated by Buffer, T., San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
